


Black Coat

by CrzA, Scarpath



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Black coat, Death, Jet Pack Blues, M/M, Sad Ending, Underfell
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-20
Updated: 2017-03-20
Packaged: 2018-09-01 03:34:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,008
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8605720
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrzA/pseuds/CrzA, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scarpath/pseuds/Scarpath
Summary: In a world of kill or be killed, what happens when the one you can't hold dear is suddenly gone?Based off the music video Black Coat.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Author's note: So this is a collaborative work between CrzA and I. It's heavily inspired and based around the events depicted in the video of the same name by Ursik L (http://ursik-l.tumblr.com/) so we hope you enjoy it while keeping that in mind~
> 
> This will be three parts long, the first written by me, the second by CrzA, and the third a collaborative written by the both of us.

Papyrus would come for me soon. He always did, when I took too long to get home. And, boy, what a sight he was going to be met with.

 

I was so pathetic. How had I been so naïve to think that the human would fall for my buzzer trick? No, instead they just cut right past that silly trick. Literally. Just  _ woosh _ and I was gone. I thought I had better reflexes.

 

And I sat up. 

 

Just in time, there he was.

 

Papyrus.

 

“Get out here you la-” He cut off when he saw the coat. 

 

I pretended, for just a moment, that he saw me.

 

I ran to him. Right through him. He knelt, picked up the jacket. Saw the tear in it, the dust.

 

He stood. His face was blank, no emotion. Emotion was dangerous. So I wasn’t hurt. Much.

 

Heh, what a joke. 

 

As he turned, jacket slung over his shoulder, I raced to keep up with him. I didn’t plan to leave him behind, I hated this. For all that we played up a hatred for eachother, I still loved him.

 

And now I’m dead. He won’t rub his fist into my skull in that way I pretended to hate. He won’t even be able to tell that I’m there.

 

And gosh, I already miss him so much. Which is kinda unfair, I can still see him, while he doesn’t even know I’m still watching. But all the same, I had lived for his attention. The small cuffs that were made to look mean, when they were just our way of being close even in public.

 

I followed my brother as he stormed to the house. Then at our doorstep...

 

He put on the coat.

 

It tore me up, because in that moment I knew. He wouldn’t just move on. And at the same time that it made my heart soar to see him care even after my death, it also tore me to pieces, because I knew my brother. He would seek out the human.

 

He would avenge me. 

 

He went up the stairs, walking straight past his room. He sat against my door.

 

He started to cry.

 

“No, no... Don’t cry for me.” But of course, he didn’t hear me.

 

He looked so confused, so lost.

 

“Come home.”

 

The words shot through me like the knife that caused this. I couldn’t stand it, and soon my own tears joined his. I sat next to him, my hand on his. I hoped that somehow he would feel it.

 

We stayed that way for a good long time.

 

Then, the final hall. Papyrus waited. I watched him from the shadows, expression dark.

 

The human arrived. Papyrus summoned a fleet of sharp tipped bones, holding one as a sword.

 

The human moved with an insane speed, crossing the hall in moments.

 

I stared in shock. How? Papyrus was strong, and yet now his weapons dissolve. And he looked so... Accepting.

 

I ran to him as his physical form turned to dust. As he fell into the same sleep I had been trapped in, I held his ghostly form in my own.

 

I had a tear in my eye as I looked up at him. The world shattered beneath me, but it didn’t matter.

 

“baby, come home.” My broken voice called

 

It didn’t matter, because he opened his eyes at my call. Because for the first time in far too long, he saw me.

 

And that was all that mattered. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is CrzA's chapter, enjoy~

I didn’t know what to think at first. He didn’t show up when he was supposed to. He wasn’t at that greasy hole he enjoyed wasting away in, he wasn’t at home. The last place to check would be his post. He had to have fallen asleep there, it was the only logical explanation.

 

Trying to ignore that little voice in my head saying that in this world it’s kill or be killed was much harder than I thought. He was there, he had to be.

 

“Get out here you la-” My words died when my eyes focused on the lump of black in the snow where he should be.

 

I stepped closer, staring intently at the piece of clothing, telling myself it was one of his stupid pranks. Bending down, stone faced, my fingers wrapped around it. The layer of dust over it couldn’t possibly be fake. And that slash right through the middle. My hands clenched tighter around the coat, and my soul seemed to clench just as hard. With a scoff I turned back to where I came from, still showing no emotion. He wasn’t gone. He couldn’t be. He just lost this stupid coat. He’s just in his room.

 

I stormed towards our house. With each grueling step it sunk in deeper, and deeper. He would never lose it. He would never leave it. I could see the house already by the time it finally settled in that he was gone. For good. All those times arguing, showing no emotion but hate. It all seemed so idiotic now.

 

I slipped my arms into the sleeves. It still held his scent.

 

The house practically shook when I slammed the door shut. Jaw stiff and breath held, I climbed up the stairs on the familiar way to his room. The door was closed like it always was. There was no noise from the inside. There was no point in checking was there? He wasn’t in there.

 

My back turned to the door, hands coming up to grab my arms, claws digging into the sleeves. And in a split second, the entire world came crashing down. I collapsed to the floor, exhaling painfully.

 

“Come home.” I found the words had come out of their own accord, and with them came the tears.

 

I felt in a way I hadn’t allowed myself to in years. Anger and hatred. Those were things that were normal, but despite feeling that too, it didn’t compare to everything else. The unbelievably excruciating pain in my chest. The hole where my soul used to be. The suffocating sadness and sorrow. And I missed him. So much. 

 

No one would take him away from me and get away with it. Whoever did this was going to pay.

 

But it hurt so badly. I took a hand to my face in an attempt to hide away the tears, hide the shame. I should’ve been there. I should’ve protected him. He shouldn’t be gone… For a moment I could almost feel his hand on mine. For a moment I pretended he was actually there with me. And for a moment… I let myself feel the love that came with all this pain.

 

It all came down to what happened next, to the showdown with human. I would avenge his death if it was the last thing I did. There was no mercy before, now all there would be was pain. I’d rain it down on his killer. I’d make them suffer the way they made me. I’d take everything away from them the way they did to me. Because in a world where nothing matters but strength, he was all I had. And they took him.

 

The sharpest bones I could summon seemed to not be enough. So I summoned them all. But even that wasn’t enough for them. Somehow, it didn’t seem to matter anymore. There was nothing that could bring him back to me and that moment of weakness was all it took. One second of doubt, and it was over.

 

There was nothing left for me anyway. I welcomed the sweet relief of death and it felt like he was back with me.

 

“baby, come home.” It almost sounded like him too.

 

And when I opened my eyes again it looked like him as well. He was smiling, tears in his eyes. He was back with me. And that was all that mattered.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The human goes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so so so sorry. I am like so sorry, I forgot that I hadn't posted this T.T  
> Sorry that it is an eon late, but the last chapter of the first real tragedy I ever wrote! Here you go!

The world had shattered, and not just in one way. Two brothers float in the nothing left behind. They hardly seem to notice the world(or lack thereof), only having eyes for each other.

 

“Papyrus...” Sans said, the tears that poked the edges of his eyes falling down his cheek, landing on his wide smile.

 

Papyrus could only stare back, still not quite believing that he was actually here. His hand came to hover over Sans’ cheekbones, almost as if afraid that if he touched his face, he’d turn to dust all over again.

 

“Sans…” His voice wavered, something that would’ve been enough to mark him as weak for the rest of his days. But somehow none of that seemed to matter anymore. After losing everything, things like power and reputation were just white noise.

 

The taller skeleton finally let his hand reach down and brush over his face lightly. His breath hitched when they made contact. It was real, he was really here… 

 

“hey, bro. been watching you. sorry i left you there. sorry. s-sorry.” Sans fell into tears, placing his hand over the one rested on his chin. He turned his head, starting to kiss the bones of his brother’s hand between sobs.

 

He focused on his brother, pacing kisses on the top of his skull. He showered his brother in kisses, trying to drown out his guilt of having left him behind.

 

Papyrus let his eyes close, still trying to wrap his mind around the fact that his brother was back, each kiss left on his bones sending a jolt straight to his soul. He held on to Sans’ coat, the coat he’d left behind, and pulled him closer.

 

“Don’t, Sans, don’t. You shouldn’t have died, it was my duty to protect you. I let you die.” He whispered, feeling that miserable remorse he did when it first dawned on him.

 

Once more, he brought his hands to his brother’s face. He was still there. He needed to make sure this was real, that it wasn’t just the illusion of a broken soul. Each touch was confirmation, each breath a certainty.

 

“I failed you.” Papyrus said, red droplets gathering at his sockets.

 

“and i you. i mean, i somehow thought that the human would fall for a buzzer in the handshake. dumb, right? they just ignored my hand and slashed right through me. i was supposed to bring you the glory of the final human s-”

 

Papyrus interrupted him, pulling their foreheads together. “None of that matters.” He told the other in a hushed tone, their magic reacting to one another’s. “All that matters is that you’re here now.”

 

His hands were coming down to Sans’ neck, in a desperate plea to feel closer. After having lost him for what felt like an excruciatingly long time, Papyrus needed to know his brother was safe, with him.

 

“it was so hard. i was there the whole time. i was so close, i had to see you go through that pain. i was right there, the whole time.” Sans confessed, his voice raw with emotion. He pushed small pulses of magic to their joined foreheads, deepening the chaste skeleton kiss.

 

He placed his arms around Papyrus’ waist, pulling him closer. “it felt like i was the one who had lost you. And was there, but i couldn’t BE there for you.”

 

The younger of the two opened his eyes, staring into Sans’ sockets. His soul nearly shattered all over again when it seemed like he was starting to fade. He’d just got him back, he didn’t think he’d be able to bear losing him again.

 

“Sans…” He called out, holding on as tight as he could. He could already feel him slipping away.

 

It was like his fingers suddenly just went through him and he couldn’t feel the touch of his magic anymore. The world of darkness around them started crumbling and them with it.

 

“no!” Sans cried out. However, he was hopeless to keep the world from going back.

 

It only took a few moments for him to recognize the snow under him. He was back at the station.

 

How? How was he back here? He was... Alive?

 

He took too long gaping at his returned life to notice the ruin doors open again. He took too long gaping at the human that stood before him to dodge the knife.

 

Again, he was killed before he could even realize what was happening.

 

Oh gosh, what about Papyrus? Would Sans have to watch him fall apart again? Sans sobbed, standing wait for his brother.

 

He nearly ran. But no, he would stay by his brother, no matter how much it hurt them.

 

By the time Papyrus reached his Sans’ post it was already too late. He picked the torn coat back up from the dusty snow, not caring about the tear streaming down his face. The thought of going through all that pain all over again was too much. The sharp end of a bone rose from the white ground and up, only to stop right between his wet eyes. His claws dug into the hood of the coat as he thought of what Sans would think of him.

 

Sans let out a soul piercing cry when the bone nearly took his brother. He grabbed at the bone, trying to tear it away from his baby brother, crying when his hand just went through it.

 

The bone lowered slowly before disappearing. With the back of his hand, he wiped the red, anguished tears and slipped the coat back on, once again. He looked intently at the ground, clenching his jaw. He started following the footsteps the human had left behind.

 

Sans grasped at Papyrus as they walked forward, trying his best to even just hold his hand. Every illusion he conjured was shattered when the hand he grasped at went up to the coat.

 

He couldn’t even support his brother in this time of sorrow. What kind of brother was he?

 

Papyrus could see the human’s silhouette up ahead and his mouth pulled down in an angry grimace. “Are you watching, Sans?” He asked the wind around him as he summoned his magic. “This is for you.”

 

He said, pushing the bone outward and into the human, puncturing right through their leg. They fell to the ground with nothing but a gasp. Did this wretched creature even feel pain? He didn’t care. One by one, bones appeared and dived into their flesh until they were completely pinned down, blood trickling out of their mouth.

 

Papyrus summoned one last bone to his hand, sharp end pointed downward as he looked the human in the eyes. “This is for my brother.” He sunk the bone through their right eye.

 

It hurt him to admit that it didn’t make him feel any better. He sunk to his knees and hugged the jacket around his shoulders.

 

Sans looked on with pride as his brother showed the human just why he was second in command of the Royal Guard. However when his brother collapsed, Sans merely ran a hand over the still living skeletons head. 

 

He continued the gesture, even as the world faded back. As his station appeared in front of him again, this time Sans ran. He darted into the forest, finding a spot out of the way to hide and wait for his brother.

 

Again, the human didn’t take long. Sans heard the slamming of the door. He held his breath, waiting.

 

“Oh skeleton~ I know you are here. Come out and play with me~” The human called. Sans held his hands up to his mouth in horror.

 

The human must have followed his footsteps, for it didn’t take them long to find him. He tried to hit them with a bone, but they ducked under his swing, slicing across his chest yet again.

 

It hurt so much. The pain lingered even longer than before, perhaps because he had anticipated the strike this time. As he was recovering, a hand reached through him to grab his coat. The intent made him sob in shocked horror. 

 

He could only watch as the human dragged his coat out of the forest. They flung it around them, taunting.

 

When Papyrus got to the place he felt like he’d been running to for days already his soul burned with overflowing rage. The human had Sans’ coat held by the hood, swinging it from side to side. They giggled, a sickeningly sweet smile playing on their lips. They dangled the knife on their other hand, the glint of the blade only making the royal guardsmen angrier.

 

“He really doesn’t put up much of a fight, does he?” The human laughed.

 

Without a single word, Papyrus just conjured a bone beneath their feet. They simply dodged out of the way without a care. The pain in his soul was already so imbedded into him that he could hardly feel it anymore. He stepped closer to the creature, bones sprouting left and right as they jumped from one spot to another. They kept dodging, always with a bubbling laugh rising from their belly.

 

What they didn’t notice was how strategic Papyrus’ attacks actually were. Each bone appearing exactly where he wanted it, each step they took away from the bones bringing them closer to him. When they finally realized what was actually happening, he was already on top of them.

 

They raised the knife to Papyrus’ throat, smile melting into a shocked scowl, eyes wide as they felt the sharp tips of the bones that suddenly appeared all around. They grazed on their skin, drawing a line of blood from where one lightly stung their cheek. His face was stone cold, only his eyes actually let on how he felt. The red that leaked from them was laced with anger and agony.

 

Sans watched his brother, his pride for him outweighing Sans’ own self hatred at his weakness. Seeing his brother’s plan, Sans started to plan himself. He needed to make it to Papyrus before the human got to him next.

 

Papyrus slowly grabbed the black coat out of the human’s hand, intentionally leaning into their blade as a taunt of his own.

 

“I won’t give you the pleasure of a quick death.” He muttered as the bones started sinking deeper, so agonizingly slow they actually felt each painful inch.

 

“no, papyrus. don’t become like this. please, just finish them...” Sans pleaded. “i can’t stand to lose you to this hatred.” Sans feared that Papyrus would go too far, that he would change for good.

 

Sans feared that the human would steal that slight innocence in Papyrus that Sans had fought so hard to preserve.

 

Seeing the fear in the human’s eyes, Papyrus found himself enjoying it. But something within him told him that this whelp wasn’t worth any sort of satisfaction. And so with a clench of his fist, the bones closed in, taking their life in the intake of a breath.

 

He slowly sat down on the snow, next to the human’s body, and held the coat to his chest. He let out a heavy sigh and looked straight forward, his soul aching once again.

 

As he waited for time to go back, Sans yet again cradled Papyrus’ skull. He pressed small kisses to his brother’s skull, wishing that the small sparks of magic could be felt.

 

But he stood at his station. This time, knowing he had no time to spare, Sans lept towards the nearest shortcut. It led him maybe half a kilometer farther towards town. He scanned the forest around him, nearly sagging in relief when he saw Papyrus.

 

After a quick scan for nearby monsters came clear, Sans flung himself at Papyrus. “Boss, Bro, Papyrus!” He said, tears of joy sneaking down his face. He hugged Papyrus tightly.

 

His first instinct was to just hold Sans as close as possible, ignoring the possibility of onlookers. Papyrus breathed in his brother’s presence for far too little time. Immediately, he grabbed the shorter skeleton by the arm and started dragging him towards their home. The human hadn’t come there, maybe wouldn’t even know they were there.

 

But as they reached the door, he stilled. He was a member of the Royal Guard. He was second in command. He couldn’t hide away with Sans as that human wreaked havoc in the Underground. It was his duty to protect all the monsters, not just his brother.

 

His eyes drifted to the elder. He knelt down so that they were at eye level with each other. He couldn’t care less if anyone else was around and saw them. Papyrus leaned into Sans’ face, eyes closing and magic reaching, pulsing towards the other as their foreheads touched once more.

 

Sans responded with his own magic, pushing back into his brother’s kiss. He allowed himself a moment to enjoy being with his brother.

 

“Go. I’ll see what I can do from the sidelines, but I’ll have to be careful not to give my position away. We need to prepare now.” Sans said, pushing Papyrus back with a soft caress. “Go, make me proud. I know you can.”

 

He nodded into him in response, leaving him with one last kiss before standing up and looking back. “Find Undyne. And King Asgore.” Papyrus said before finally starting to leave, his chest heavy with anticipation.

 

From what he learned, this human couldn't be killed. Or at least they wouldn’t stay dead. So the only thing Papyrus could really do was hold them off, restrain them, something. Their death meant nothing. His fingers twitched as a thought crossed his mind. If that was the case, would this ever end?

 

He disappeared from view as he made his way to find the human. Sans ran through Snowdin the moment he was out of sight, jumping through a shortcut that dropped him near to Undyne’s house. He banged on her door, waiting impatiently for her to answer the door.

 

“What do you want, whelp?” She asked, angry. Sans gave an appropriate tiny bow, somehow making the motion condescending.

 

“A human has been spotted in Snowdin. Just thought you might wanna know that your second in command is gonna get all the glory.” Sans taunted, before ducking through a small chain of shortcuts that took him to the throne room.

 

When facing the king, his condescending manner completely disappeared, and he instead knelt in front of his king.

 

“My lord, a human has appeared in Snowdin. This human is the cause of temporal loops, and it is requested that you help... dispose of it.” Sans kept his head low, waiting for a response.

 

“Alright. Take me there.” Asgore walked towards Sans, offering a large paw. Sans gently took it, leading the king through the shortest route possible.

 

They arrived not far from the battlefield.

 

Papyrus looked in contempt as the human stared him down with a vengeful smile. He was trying not to show his ragged breaths as they leaned casually against a nearby tree.

 

“I learn from my mistakes. Did you think it was going to be easy the third time around?” They grinned cheekily. “I must say I missed the other one. I liked how easy he was.”

 

The royal guardsmen knew when he was being intentionally riled up. They were trying to get him to react harshly and thoughtlessly. And he was awfully tempted to do so, but knew better than that.

 

He summoned a bone to his hand, deciding that long ranged combat was getting him nowhere. They dodged his attacks as if they already knew his patterns. All he had to do was catch them off guard once to pin them down.

 

When the human saw Papyrus starting for them, their lips twitched in excitement. The tall skeleton gained on them and instead of falling back, they charged towards him, knife at the ready. What had been a throw and dodge game between them just moments ago, turned into a close-range dance.

 

The human slashed at him and he expertly parried their attacks, stepping side to side, front to back, returning every two of their attempts with one of his own. Stall. That’s all he had to do. Just keep them distracted, keep them entertained. The smirk that danced on their lips was disturbing. Why did this creature take so much joy in their misery?

 

Without realizing it, Papyrus kept getting more and more aggravated, his movements becoming less sharp and more rabid. With each passing second, the human’s expression darkened, eyes glistening as they saw him lose his composure.

 

Momentarily forgetting his objective, he started going for the kill, carelessly trying to strike the human down, make them pay for hurting Sans and everyone else. Papyrus swung for their chest and they simply moved themselves sideways, twirling around the sharp bone. The knife felt right in their hand as they brought their arm to slash at his chest.

 

His sockets widened as he saw his mistake. Guilt flashed through his features as he thought of his brother, how he’d failed him again. But as the blade was about to cut through him, suddenly the human was flung sideways, the sting of the knife only reaching one of his ribs. 

 

“Woooow, nope. You are not touching my bro, human.” Sans said, coming to stand in front of Papyrus as he pinned the human with magic of his own. He pulled the blue soul farther from the human’s chest.

 

Asgore loomed over the human. His presence alone was enough to cause the soul to dim in fear, before the king grabbed it in his paws. His own soul became visible, much larger than that of the human’s. It consumed the smaller one, making the human scream in pain. Eventually, the human went limp.

 

Now it was simply a waiting game. Would it reset?

 

A small pained gasp drew Sans’ attention back to Papyrus. He was shocked to see his brother’s HP lowered so much from just a small wound. Sans reached out a hand, hovering above the damaged rib. He was afraid to touch it, but he needed to try to heal it.

 

Bracing himself to the intent of the wound, Sans started to channel magic into the it. When the magic connected, Sans was almost knocked back by the intent laying in the wound. He tried his best, but he could only take the edge off of the wound before he had to stop for fear of his own HP.

 

Papyrus hissed as Sans’ magic stopped flowing, the stinging pain returning and spreading through his bones. He brought his hand up to hold his brother’s, squeezing his eyes shut. It was a light tingle followed by an intensifying burn. He could feel his health decreasing, taking away his ability to even attempt to heal himself.

 

The royal guardsmen took a deep breath as he opened his eyes to look at his brother and the king. It seemed like things weren’t going back… That was good, his job was done.

 

He took Sans’ hand closer to him, pulling it to his face. Leaning into it, Papyrus’ mouth turned up slightly, smiling at his older brother, tears starting to well in his eyes. The burning was spreading slowly, but surely. With his other hand, he pulled Sans by the collar of that same black coat, bringing him closer to his face. He gently rubbed the smaller skeleton’s cheekbone and leaned in, red tears mixing together to the point where it was hard to tell who they came from.

 

Seven souls to break the barrier. This was the seventh. It gave Papyrus a shred of peace knowing he played his part in earning their freedom, Sans’ freedom. It didn’t matter that he wouldn’t be there to see it all come to fruition. Sans was here. And that was all that mattered.

 

Sans sobbed into his brother, as he was turning to dust. He pushed through some of his own pain to attempt to heal the poison of intent that was spreading. He sent small bursts of magic in, stopping with every decimal of his own HP that fell. He figured that even if he couldn’t save his brother, he could spend most of himself to lessen the pain Papyrus felt.

 

“please, bro. please, my love, don’t leave me.” Sans begged, pushing the last bits of magic he could manage, leaving him at 0.05 HP. He didn’t dare go lower. He couldn’t be that selfish. But it didn’t leave him feeling any better as his brother faded away in his arms.

 

The king watched in sorrow as the brothers fell apart together. He reached a paw to each of them, doing whatever he could to help. He managed to increase the smaller skeleton’s HP steadily, but no matter how hard he tried on the other, three points would decrease to every one he managed to heal back. Not even when Sans started trying again, not even their combined efforts were enough to stop the intent from spreading further into Papyrus’ soul.

 

The captain of the royal guard arrived then, the scene before her sending her into a frozen shock. The monster she had such respect for, fallen. Wordlessly, Undyne approached them, kneeling amongst them and raising her hands to the younger of the brothers. She saw what they were trying to do and she tried to help as well but it was useless.

 

Papyrus knew this. He held their hands and closed his eyes, that soft smile still gracing his features. “It’s okay. You’re all free now.” He said with the last of his strength. 

 

Underneath his hands, Sans could feel his brother start to crumble. Papyrus felt himself slowly shut down, his bones flaking. One last tear fell from his socket as he let go and his dust lifted. Sans was left sobbing into his empty arms, the red, torn-up scarf laying limply over his lap. He crumpled into himself and let out a heart wrenching howl, laced with anguish and misery.

 

“baby come home” He whispered to the wind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Did you cry? I did. I was up until 12:30 at night writing this with CrzA, but that's not the worst part. The worst part is the 7 hour time difference that meant that _she_ stayed up until 7:30 in the morning heheh. Apparently the time of night(morning) was enough to make her mean, because she then killed off Papyrus on me...


End file.
